WD My Passport Wireless SSD Review
The humble portable hard drive, reworked for photographers
As its name suggests, the My Passport Wireless SSD is based on a fast SSD. We clocked it at a blazing 350MB/s-read and 285MB/s-write speeds during sustained video transfer, while folders of images shift at an equally impressive 290MB/S and 256MB/S.
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But this is more than just an SSD; It’s a device designed to be used as standalone storage in the field. This means that during a shoot you can back up images from your memory card without a computer. This is made possible by the Passport’s built-in SD card reader. Just insert a card, press the transfer button and the Passport copies the card’s contents to the SSD, with status LEDs showing the transfer progress.
Once your shots are on the drive, you can then view them on your smartphone or tablet, as the Passport also acts as a wireless media server with its 802.11ac/n Wi-Fi hotspot. Even Raw images stored on the drive are viewable, and though we tried to break this feature by using Raw files from newly released cameras, the Passport wasn’t fazed. WD also claims the device can wirelessly stream 4K video, however it does so by offloading the video to the default media player installed on your smart device. If this is incompatible with the video codec used by your Canon, you won’t be able to see anything.
Powering all this is a built-in battery good for up to 10 hours continuous use. But if you don’t need all-day power, the battery can also double as a 6700 mAh power bank, with a USB output on the drive able to supply 1.5A of charging power.
Packing so much tech does make the My Passport Wireless SSD relatively large by portable SSD standards, measuring 135mm square and 30mm thick.
WD My Passport Wireless SSD Review: VERDICT
The My Passport Wireless SSD is a refreshingly versatile and high-performing mobile storage solution. Having the ability to quickly back up SD cards on the go to a convenient self-powered drive is great during a long shoot.
FEATURES 5/5
BUILD & HANDLING 4/5
PERFORMANCE 4.5/5
VALUE 4/5
OVERALL 4.5/5
WD My Passport Wireless SSD Review: SYSTEM REQUIREMENTS
| CAPACITY | 250GB, 500GB, 1TB, 2TB |
| SIZE | 135x135x30mm |
| Operation | Windows 7, 8.1 or 10; or macOS 10.11 (El Capitan) or later |
| WEIGHT | 440g |
| CARD READER | SD 3.0 |
| CONNECTION PORTS | USB 3.0, USB 2.0_ |
| WIRELESS CONNECTIVITY | Wi-Fi (802.11a/c/n) |
WD My Passport Wireless SSD Review: Features
1 Mot only does the Passport’s Wi-Fi let you stream video footage to your smart device, you can also import it directly to video-editing apps like LumaFusion for iPhone and iPad.
2 Other card formats can be connected to the Passport via a separate card reader attached to a USB 2.0 input and you can still use the handy one-touch copy feature.
3 The internal power bank can be used to charge a connected device while it also powers the SSD. The only compromise is that the charging current drops.
